Monthly Archives: October 2014

As we reach the half way mark of the semester, I took a moment yesterday to think about how I feel about my actions so far this semester. College is based on what you take out of your experiences and how much you push yourself. We no longer have Mom or Dad (or our teachers) breathing down our necks to make sure we achieve success. How we do is based on the effort we put in. Have I been the best student I could be? Probably not. But it’s not too late for me to change, or for you to as well.

Getting Help: If you are having trouble with a subject, take advantage of the services CCBC has to offer. There is the tutoring center in the library by the computers, and your professors are willing to work with you to help you achieve success. Don’t struggle along thinking you have to do this by yourself. There are options out there to help you, USE THEM.

Studying: The average suggestion for studying is two hours for every one hour spent in the classroom. So, if you have a three-hour class, you should be studying for around six hours. I know that it sounds like a lot, but everything is manageable. Break it up. Study for half an hour before work and then another before bed. Do that each day and then take one day rest. Or do a whole hour before work and an hour before bed. You have to play it by ear and be flexible. But remember, you NEED to study. Put in the effort, and the reward will be great.

Class Participation: Everybody has that ONE person in each class that never pays attention, sleeps the whole time, or is on some form of a technological device. So, when we aren’t paying attention in class, we can tell ourselves, “At least I’m not like you-know-who.” But, we are kidding ourselves. It doesn’t matter if we are only on our phones for five minutes, that is five minutes of learning material we missed out on. No matter how well you think you hide your phone, professors take notice. And that affects the way that they perceive you. You need to participate in class mentally and physically. Raise your hand. Ask questions. Take notes. Do whatever you can to get the most out of each class.

As I have said before, take advantage of what CCBC has to offer to help you achieve your dreams.

College and high school have their similarities and differences. Balancing different workloads? That part definitely remained the same. I attend classes Monday through Thursday from about 8:00 a.m. to 12:35 p.m. From there, I typically head straight to work. There are days though, when I’d rather be any place but at work. I’ll admit it gets stressful. How do you even try to balance the ratio of how many hours you spend in class to reflect how many hours you spend studying? Furthermore, how do you add all of that studying in between working a part-time or even full-time job? At times, I honestly feel like it’s practically impossible to balance both.

What I’ve found to be beneficial is finding a job with flexible hours. Sometimes, that isn’t always possible, in which case, you can schedule your classes freely around your work schedule. For myself, it works out better to work around my school schedule. Though it can get tiring, and most definitely can get stressful, making my own schedule really gives me the motivation to push through it all. If you find yourself pressed for time, maybe next semester, switch your class schedule a little bit—open up times that you would need to further practice or study anything you learn in class. If not that, adjust your work hours. Of course, always leave time for studying of some sort. Don’t stress yourself out when it isn’t really necessary. Balance your time, consider your schedule, and form a new one that fits best for you if necessary. I’ve just learned to do the same thing, and it’s definitely made an improvement for me.